So with the shift in the meta more towards creatures I decided I would run 4 engineered explosives over the 4 null rod of previous lists. With the change in the meta game paired up with going 4-1-1 (beating all my opponents 2-0) at NEV #1 and missing top 8 with it I decided this was the optimal list. The list performed perfectly almost too perfect! There was a snow storm the night before and morning of this event and me and Allen Fulmer decided last minute to make the trek. To our suprise there were 22 people ready to battle which is a really nice turnout with the given circumstances!
First – Joshua Potucek
“UR Landstill”
4 Standstill
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Misdirection
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Mental Misstep
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Steel Sabotage
4 Engineered Explosives
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Echoing Truth
2 Fire/Ice
4 Wasteland
4 Mishra’s Factory
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Volcanic Island
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
SB:
1 Yixlid Jailer
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Underground Sea
4 Ingot Chewer
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Energy Flux
Round 1 – Dom w/ Bob, delver, predator, snapcaster broken blue, 2-0 win
A. He plays midgame bob and a predator while I had been beating with factories better part of the game and the pressure eventually kills him.
B. Predator and delver and bob were all involved in this game. My conclave traded with delver at some point, I answered bob at some point and predator gets me to 5 life before I hit a Jace. It was over from there. I think it was in this game where my standstills and forces both get extirpated, that was fun!
Round 2 - Allen Fulmer w/ Espresso shops, 2-1 win
We are good friends and drove together and tested this match up and game ones for me in this match up can be brutal.
A. I mull to 5, and my hand is standstill, waste, waste, library, volc. I draw a 3rd waste in the first few turns and eventually bounce his crucible and am able to keep him mana short bc he didn't top deck a land like 2 turns straight giving me the time to take over.
B. Double lodestone kills me as my factory can't hang with the big boys and port
C. My hand was pretty good it had sabotage, hurkyl's, waste, fetch, island, x, x. This game goes long, and double chewer get in the beats for the win as we go to turn 5 after time was called and I get the win.
Round 3 – Lance with UR control w/ Magus, snap, clique, etc, 1-1-1 draw
A. I am very dominant this whole game control it and win.
B. He has too many counters and snapcasters and Magus, just too much.
C. He beats me to 1 life as time and extra turns expire
Round 4 – Fisher w/ Bob, predator, snapcaster control 2-1 win
Fisher knows and hates this match up so much, but he is a good sport and a cool opponent!
A. He plays mox, lotus, double bob...I play volc, lotus, ee on 2 (with drain back if he has a counter). I blow up bobs and coast to win from there.
B. He has bob the better portion of the game, and I have library and he goes broken midgame. If I see a single force it would have been different but so it goes.
C. He mulls to 6 I believe. He plays a bob on turn 3 or so, I play ee on 2 and eat it, next turn another bon, and my following turn another ee and eat it, the next turn he plays a 3rd bob, and on my turn I fire it. This is a great example of the versatility of explosives. I loved it!
Round 5 ID
Top 8 – Justin Kholer w/ Kodoltha shops, 2-1 win
A. Turn 1 standstill and that's all she wrote. He never got ahead, I had some wastes, and fired a metalworker
B. He has a fast hand including wurmcoil engine I have chewer and some other good stuff but he provides a soft lock combined with coil and gets me
C. I cast a chewer killing a thorn I thing, then evoke another one to kill a worker, then deny mana some and get there in the end
Top 4 – Lance w/ UR Magus hater deck again, 2-0 win
A. I have a good hand with force, misd, standstill, waste, crucible, sea, drain. I draw a blue card for turn and lead with waste in case he has his own waste. Next turn land standstill with double counter and I maintain control rest of game and win. I get my drains or forces surgical extracted this game as well.
B. More of the same. I have a good hand and its controlling and he never really is in this one either.
Finals – Brandon Brown w/ GW hate, 2-0 win
A. He NEVER stops playing creatures. I misstep turn 1 noble, then force turn 2 noble, land a standstill. He continues playing guys. He gets me to 3 life before I stabilize and wreck him with explosives. Then control the game and win.
B. My opening hand is explosives, explosives, strip, factory, sea, fetch, volc. This is a good hand against him so I keep. I draw a drain, then a force, then some more blue cards. He lands a turn 2 crucible and I am blown away haha. I play ee at 3 and clear it. Land my own crucible, deny some mana. Hard cast chewer mid game, then finally a Jace and control for the win.
Conclusion: Engineered explosives is the major change to the deck, and subtle changes in the mana base. Explosives has been insane in testing vs broken blue, grow and fish, so what the heck I play it and never look back at null rod in the back seat. Explosives was insane all day. I killed SOOOOOOO many creatures and moxen and chalices on the day it was insane. This car was the missing link for this deck to take it to the next level. The changes in the mana base went like this (compared to my lists from previous months) I cut a volc for 5th fetch, cut ruby for mountain, and cut 1 island for Conclave. You may ask why no ruby? Well the deck doesn't need the card. I got tired in testing and in events playing standstill and drawing moxen so mountain was more fitting, and it strengthens the mana base. The thought behind conclave was that I also wanted to apply more pressure while the game is locked under a standstill so this was the perfect card because it was still colored mana. It was great! This was an excellent event and great results!
